Endless drive belt apparatus for processing card tickets with magnetic track

ABSTRACT

A ticket (1) is driven by an endless belt (10) which is serrated on one surface. The belt engages only a fraction of the width of the ticket. At a print station which includes a dot-matrix print head (145, 146) the ticket passes over a smooth platen roller (150) which includes a portion (152) of reduced diameter in which the belt is received so that its smooth surface comes level with the rest of the cylindrical surface of the platen roller. The print head moves along a generator line of the platen roller, and the roller itself or the drive belt provide the required backing for printing on the ticket.

The present invention relates to apparatus for processing card tickets,eg. tickets for travel or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many modern types of ticket for travel are made on a paper medium whichis reinforced to a greater or lesser extent to ensure adequate rigidity.The term "card ticket" is used herein to designate such a medium. As ageneral rule the ticket also includes a magnetic track. In some casesthe ticket further includes lines of weakness to enable one or more tabsto be removed when the ticket is inspected.

Generally speaking, the first step in processing such a ticket is tocreate a valid ticket from a blank ticket medium. The ticket issubsequently inspected one or more times, and where appropriate, it iscancelled after use.

It is desirable for card ticket processing apparatus to be as simple aspossible mechanically, for it to be reliable even when presented withdamaged tickets, and, given the typical applications of suchapparatuses, for it to be relatively inexpensive. A specific problemlies in obtaining good quality printing on tickets.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide improved ticketprocessing apparatus for processing such a card ticket, and preferablyfor processing such a card ticket having a magnetic track thereon. Thatis to say, such embodiments constitute apparatuses for printing on aticket or on a ticket blank and, where applicable, for reading and/orwriting on its magnetic track.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides card ticket processing apparatusincluding conveyor means for conveying the ticket along a path internalto the apparatus between a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet, and a printstation at a first point along the said path for printing on the ticket,said conveyor means including an endless drive belt running round acircuit defined by guide wheels.

The improvement of the present invention lies in that said belt isserrated and co-operates with each ticket over a fraction of the widthof the ticket, and said print station co-operates with a smooth platenroller located at said first point along the said path; said smoothroller having a notched portion over which said belt passes, the notchedportion being of such a depth that the ticket-contacting surface of thebelt is level with the rest of the cylindrical surface of the smoothroller where the belt passes over the roller; said print station beingmovable transversely relative to the belt to enable it to print on aticket which is backed by a continuous platen surface which isconstituted partly by the smooth roller and partly by the belt where itis level with the roller.

Preferably, said belt provides friction drive for a ticket over theentire length of its path through the apparatus.

It has been found that this mode of driving and printing is highlyadvantageous. Ticket motion is accurate and without slip, therebyensuring high quality printing. It should be noted that the ticket onwhich printing is to take place remains in continuous contact with thedrive belt, even while passing the print station.

Another advantage of the above arrangement is that the same basicapparatus can be used to process tickets of differing widths and/orlengths. It appears that tickets are adequately guided by the beltalone, and that lateral guide plates or disks are only necessary forensuring mechanical cohesion of the apparatus.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the serrated belt describesan angle of 160° to 170° wherever it engages a guide wheel along theinternal ticket path.

Advantageously, the print station includes a dot-matrix type of printhead.

More particularly, the serrated belt is advantageously driven by astepper motor. It should also pass over an extender wheel situatedoutside the internal ticket path.

Such card tickets generally include a magnetic track, and the ticketprocessing apparatus includes a magnetic head for co-operating with themagnetic track on a ticket. In such circumstances, the serrated beltwhich follows the ticket from the inlet to the outlet takes a detourround a station including the magnetic head and the ticket is driven andurged against the magnetic head by a second belt which co-operates byfriction with the said serrated belt. The second belt makes it possibleto adjust the pressure with which the ticket is applied to the magnetichead independently of the pressure which required for or due to themotion of the serrated belt.

Both belts are preferably opposite the magnetic track.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the invention is described by way of example withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a card ticket, showing the position of the drivebelt 10 relative thereto;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are respectively a cross section through and a side viewof a print station;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic side view showing how the drive belt passesover the print station roller (which is similar to its passage overother guide wheels); and

FIG. 5 is an overall side view of a card ticket processing apparatus inaccordance with the invention.

MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In FIG. 1, the reference 1 designates a travel ticket. The ticketcomprises a card blank which may optionally be weakened along two linesto make it easily divided into three portions 2, 3 and 4. The ticket hasa magnetic track 5 situated on its face which is not visible in thefigure. FIG. 1 also shows how a main drive drive belt 10 is locatedbehind the ticket 1, near to its top edge 6 ("behind" and "top" beingrelative to the orientations shown in the figure).

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the ticket 1 being driven through a print station bythe drive belt 10. The print station comprises a dot matrix printerincluding a block 145 having a print head proper 146. The head assembly145, 146 is movable from one end to the other of a generator line on thesurface of a platen roller 150. The platen roller 150 has a smooth outersurface 151 with a smaller diameter notched portion 152 at one end whichcan also have a smooth outer surface, and which is of such a size as toreceive the drive belt 10 so that it is level with the smooth surface ofthe remainder of the platen roller 150 along the said generator line.

The ticket-contacting face of the drive belt 10 is smooth, but as can beseen in FIGS. 2 and 3 the opposite face of the drive belt is serratedfor engaging belt-driving means.

As is explained in greater detail below, the drive belt is kept undertension from both sides of the platen roller 150 in such a manner thatthere is an angle of about 175° between the directions at which itarrives at and departs from the roller 150 (see FIG. 4). This anglecould naturally be slightly different, but it must be less than 180° inorder to ensure that the drive belt remains in contact with the roller150.

Unexpectedly, it turns out that a dot matrix printer of the typementioned prints properly on a ticket at any point along the entirelength of a generator line of the platen roller 150, regardless ofwhether the ticket is backed directly by the outer surface 151 of theroller, or by the drive belt 10 as supported in the notched portion ofthe roller.

It is naturally desirable that the serrations on the drive belt 10should be at a fairly small pitch. Under normal conditions of ticket andprint head size, it appears that the pitch should not be greater than 5mm, and is preferably close to 2 mm.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5 which shows an embodiment of card ticketprocessing apparatus in accordance with the invention.

The apparatus is capable both of issuing new tickets and of processingpre-existing tickets.

The apparatus is described initially in operation for issuing a newticket.

A length of re-inforced paper (ie. a length of "card") is inserted inthe apparatus from a supply reel (not shown). The card is inserted via aflared opening to a passage 101 between upper and lower plates 102 and103. A first microswitch 105 has a feeler 104 projecting into thepassage 101 to detect the presence of card therein.

The passage 101 leads to a plate 106 which co-operates with a guillotineblade 107 that is normally in a raised position. The card then passesbetween the drive belt 10 and an upper plate 129 until its leading edgeabuts against a stop plate 135 which is hinged at 134 to a support 130.A second microswitch 137 engages the other end the stop plate 135 bymeans of a feeler 136 and serves to signal the presence of card abuttingagainst the stop plate. As a result:

(1) The blade 107 is operated to cut off a desired length of card;

(2) A wheel 120 is brought down (the wheel 120 is pivoted at 121 on asupport 122 which is itself fixed to the plunger of an electromagnet(not shown)); and

(3) The part 130 pivots about the axis 131 which is fixed to a frame forthe apparatus (not shown), thereby allowing the ticket blank thus cutfrom the supply reel to advance along a ticket path internal to theapparatus.

Before describing the rest of the ticket path, it is desirable todescribe the dynamics of the ticket conveyor means which comprise theendless drive belt 10 and a plurality of guide and drive wheels overwhich it runs. At the right hand side of the figure, the drive belt 10passes round a drive wheel 170 which can be the only wheel on the beltpath having teeth to match the serrations on the belt. The belt returnsvia a lower extensor wheel 180 which pivots on the end of a lever 182.The lever 182 is itself pivoted at 183 on a support (not shown), and isresiliently loaded by a spring 184 which is also fixed to the support at185. The position of the spring anchor point 185 or the choice of spring184 enable the tension of the drive belt 10 to be adjusted as necessary.The belt then passes over an inlet wheel 110 after which it begins tofollow the internal ticket path. On either side of the platen roller 150the drive belt 10 is deflected by two respective guide wheels 141 and142. Then, the belt passes a guide wheel 201, leaves the internal ticketpath at a guide wheel 161 to pass round a wheel 162 lying off the path,before returning to the path at a guide wheel 163, and passing a guidewheel 203 before returning to the drive wheel 170.

The drive belt leaves the internal ticket path between the guide wheels161 and 163 in order to make a detour round a magnetic head 170 whichprojects into the internal ticket path between a pair of co-planarplates 172 and 173. The sides 170 and 174 of the plates 172 and 173 thatare distant from the magnetic head 170 slope away from the common planetowards the magnetic head.

Opposite this arrangement there is a second belt 20. The second belt 20follows a closed loop around the above-mentioned guide wheels 201 and203 and round a third guide wheel 202 which is spring loaded in asimilar manner to the wheel 180. The second belt is not independentlydriven and need not be serrated. The guide wheel 201 presses the secondbelt 20 against the drive belt 10 which sufficient pressure to ensurethat a ticket remains in close co-operation with the drive belt, even ifthat means slipping relative to the second belt 20. Where it passes overthe plates 172 and 173, the ticket is driven by the second belt 20 alonewhich presses the magnetic track against the magnetic head 170. Thelength of the ticket's path over the magnetic head and plate assembly isshort enough to ensure that the ticket remains in contact with the drivebelt at all times, and is continuously driven without slipping. In otherwords, a ticket begins its passage through the magnetic assembly bybeing pushed forwards from upstream of the guide wheel 161, and it ispressed against the magnetic head by the second belt 20. The second belt20 is normally moving at the same linear speed as the drive belt and theticket advances steadily. Before the trailing end of the ticket has leftthe guide wheel 161, its leading end is picked up by the drive belt atthe guide wheel 163. The ticket thus leaves the magnetic station bybeing pulled by the drive belt 10, and at no time does the ticketcompletely loose contact with the drive belt.

On the internal ticket path, each time the drive belt passes a guidewheel which pinches the ticket against the drive belt, the beltdescribes an angle of about 165°. This happens at the guide wheels 141,142, 201, and 203. The same is preferably true of the second belt whereit passes over the guide wheels 161 and 163.

The traction force exerted by friction on the ticket as it passes eachguide wheel is regular and little affected by the thickness of theticket. It is defined almost entirely by the spring 184.

It has been observed that such an arrangement ensures both excellentprinting and excellent accuracy in the motion of the ticket and thus ofits magnetic track past the magnetic head. Such accuracy in motion isvery important to ensure that magnetic characters are properly writtenon the magnetic track. Another most important feature is the pressurewith which the ticket is applied against the magnetic head 170, whichpressure is provided by the second belt 20.

The second belt 20 is kept under tension by an extender arrangementcomprising the guide wheel 202 which is pivoted at one end of a lever204 which is itself pivoted to the frame of the apparatus at 205 and isloaded by a spring 206 having an end connected to the apparatus frame at207. (The frame itself is not shown). The force exerted by the spring206 is readily set by design, and may optionally be adjustable byadjusting its fixing point 207. The pressure applied by the second belt20 against the ticket as it passes over the magnetic head 170 can thusbe set to a suitable value.

The apparatus described above constitutes a most advantageous solutionto the problem of ensuring that a ticket has both visible marks that arelegible for people and magnetic marks that are legible for machines.

Both belts preferably engage the ticket immediately opposite themagnetic track.

The entire set of wheels is preferably driven from the single drivewheel 170 as driven by a stepper motor or by a DC motor includingtachometer speed control means. The second belt 20 is driven by thedrive belt by friction, either directly or through a ticket.

It can be seen in FIG. 5 that the ticket remains in contact with thedrive belt 10 from the inlet 101 to an outlet plate 191, which plate hasa ticket sensor wheel 192 controlling a microswitch 194 having a feeler193 which engages the ticket sensor wheel 192.

To issue a new ticket, a suitable length of blank ticket is cut off thesupply and is made to advance by the wheels 120, and then 141 and 142which move it through the print station. The ticket then passes throughthe magnetic station and the head 170 records information on the reverseside of the ticket in a suitable machine-readable code.

Printing takes place in columns, ie. in the direction which is drawnvertically in FIG. 1. Such point-by-point printing builds up in knownmanner to produce a plurality of lines of printing on the ticket whichare horizontal (again as shown in FIG. 1). The printing could also bedone horizontally.

The magnetic information generally correspond to the information printedin the clear together with additional items of information.

After leaving the drive wheel 170, the ticket engages the ticket sensorwheel 192 which serves to inform the apparatus (via the microswitch 194)when the user has taken the ticket. Another new ticket may then beissued, or the drive can be stopped if there is no further work to bedone.

Additionally, or in a variant, the FIG. 5 apparatus can be used toprocess pre-existing tickets.

Such a ticket, or an equivalent document on a plastic medium such as acredit card, is inserted at the outlet 191 where it is detected by themicroswitch 194. The belts are initially driven in reverse so that theticket passes over the magnetic head first where its magnetic recordingis read and then through the print station where additional informationmay be marked thereon in the clear.

The ticket then rides over the deflector 133 and under the cover 139where its presence is detected, eg. at 138 as it moves over the plate129. The belts are then reversed (ie. they are driven in the "forward"direction as used for issuing new tickets) and the ticket is returned tothe user. Additional marks may be printed thereon and additionalinformation may be recorded thereon magnetically.

The Applicant has used apparatus such as described above to obtain driveaccuracy of better than one micron at a maximum drive speed of about 500mm per second. These figures relate to the motion of the ticket per se.In this embodiment, the drive belt has serrations at a pitch of 2.032 mmand is made of neoprene. The platen roller 150 is 36 mm in diameter.

The ticket used has the shape shown in FIG. 1, being 20 cm by 8 cm. Itsmagnetic track conforms to ISO standards.

Given these dimensions, it can be seen in FIG. 5 that ticket guidance isprovided entirely by its co-operation with the drive belt. Given thelength of the ticket, it is essential that it remains continuously incontact between the drive belt and one or two guide wheels. The spacesbetween the guide wheels 120, 141, 142, 201, 161, 203, and 170 arechosen accordingly.

I claim:
 1. Card ticket processing apparatus including conveyor meansfor conveying a ticket along a path internal to the apparatus between aticket inlet and a ticket outlet, and a print station at a first pointalong the said path for printing on the ticket, said conveyor meansincluding an endless drive belt running round a circuit defined by guidewheels, the improvement wherein said belt is serrated and co-operateswith each ticket over a fraction of the width of the ticket, and saidprint station co-operates with a smooth platen roller located at saidfirst point along the said path; said smooth roller having a notchedportion over which said belt passes, the notched portion being of such adepth that the ticket-contacting surface of the belt is level with therest of the cylindrical surface of the smooth roller where the beltpasses over the roller; said print station being movable transverselyrelative to the belt to enable it to print on a ticket which is backedby a continuous platen surface which is constituted partly by the smoothroller and partly by the belt where it is level with the roller. 2.Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive belt is slightlycurved where it passes over the platen roller.
 3. Apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the serrated drive belt engages and curves round aplurality of guide wheels disposed along the internal ticket path, saidticket passing between the belt and the guide wheels, and successiveguide wheels being disposed along the internal ticket path at intervalsof less than one ticket length.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 3,wherein the belt describes an angle of 160° to 170° where it curvesround any one of said guide wheels.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the serrated drive belt is driven by a stepper motor. 6.Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive belt is kept undertension by an extender wheel situated outside the internal ticket path.7. Apparatus according to claim 1, for use with tickets including amagnetic track, wherein the ticket processing apparatus includes amagnetic head for co-operating with the magnetic track on a ticket,wherein the drive belt which follows the ticket from the inlet to theoutlet takes a detour round a station including the magnetic head, andwherein the ticket is driven and urged against the magnetic head by asecond belt which co-operates by friction with the drive belt. 8.Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein both belts are situated oppositethe magnetic track of the ticket.
 9. Apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the serrated drive belt has serrations at a pitch of not morethan 5 mm, and preferably at a pitch of about 2 mm.
 10. Apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein said print station includes a dot-matrixprinter suitable for printing a column of dots along a generator line ofthe platen roller.